Helmet Vaccine Newsletter May 2013

Dear friends and supporters,

This month, as I read the Commission for Global Road Safety's new report, "Safe roads for all," the legislative, technological, and life-saving advances being achieved through the Decade stood out as feats we could not have even imagined only a few years ago.

But reports of quickly diminishing Decade funding make it clear that collectively we have not yet done enough to stem the still dire health burden of road injury, especially the scale at which it affects the young and the most rapidly motorizing regions of the world.

For this reason, the UN's second Global Road Safety Week presented an opportunity to explore new avenues to call for the political commitment and resourcing necessary to do more – to, as outlined in the report, achieve a 50 percent reduction in the number of lives lost on the world's roads by 2030. Please read on to see how we've made this call in the countries where we work.

7. Tanzania

Global

News Update

Roads still unsafe because of 'miserably inadequate' funding – The world's stance on road safety continues to be characterised by inaction, "miserably inadequate" funding and a refusal to acknowledge dangerous roads as one of the biggest health challenges, according to a Commission for Global Road Safety report.
Source: The Guardian 07.05.2013

2013 Decade of Action Policy and Donor Forum hosted by St. Petersburg

6-7 May – St. Petersburg, Russia

CEO Mirjam Sidik represented AIP Foundation in St. Petersburg, Russia at the 2013 Decade of Action Policy and Donor Forum, which focused on pedestrian rights and safety. Organized by the Road Safety Fund, the Commission for Global Road Safety, and Road Safety Russia, the Forum brought together influential policymakers, philanthropists, and road safety supporters together during the United Nations' second Global Road Safety Week (May 6-12).

HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Etienne Krug, Director of Injury & Violence Prevention at WHO, Juan Navas-Sabater, the World Bank’s sector leader for sustainable development in Europe and Central Asia, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and high-level Russian government officials, among many others, participated in the Forum.

Lord Robertson, Chairman of the Commission for Global Road Safety, launched a new report “Safe roads for all: A post-2015 agenda for health and development,” which argues for the inclusion of road safety in the next UN sustainable development goals and for continued and increased funding of the Decade of Action. Other presentations covered pedestrian safety within the ‘Safe System’ approach, new braking technology to reduce pedestrian impacts, and infrastructure measures that make pedestrian safer.

Ms. Sidik presented on AIP Foundation’s ‘Model School Zone’ project, as part of the Safe Kids Worldwide coalition. The initiative, funded by FedEx, combines road safety education, police engagement, and environmental modifications, such as the installation of crosswalks, sidewalks, and traffic signals.

Grand Prize awarded to AIP Foundation's documentary about child helmet use in Vietnam

7 May – St. Petersburg, Russia

"In Retrospect," a documentary created by AIP Foundation about the need for children to wear helmets on motorcycles, was awarded the grand prize at the Global Road Safety Film Festival. The awards were announced on 24 April at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris.

The winning documentary features the heart-breaking stories of three Vietnamese families with a child injured or killed in a motorcycle crash. "In Retrospect", created for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in November 2012, is currently airing as part of the nationwide "Children also need a helmet" campaign.

A second AIP Foundation film “Always Care, Always Wear a Helmet” won third prize in the category of communications. The film reminds Cambodians that putting a helmet on their passengers is a simple act of caring, one among the many they routinely perform for their loved ones every day. Approximately 3.4 million people in Cambodia have seen the film.

Movie actor and Global Road Safety Ambassador Michelle Yeoh presented the awards to AIP Foundation Chief Executive Officer Mirjam Sidik in St. Petersburg on May 7 during the UN Second Global Road Safety.

Celebrities and road safety stakeholders join Hanoi families to show how much they 'love helmets'

4 May – Hanoi

On Saturday, May 4, AIP Foundation, in collaboration with Hanoi Traffic Safety Committee and Hanoi Department of Education and Training, hosted a “Kids love helmets” family day in the Hanoi Botanic Gardens.

The event was part of the national campaign, “Children also need a helmet” to increase motorcycle helmet wearing among Vietnamese children, by engaging more than 1,000 parents, children, local authorities, and road safety stakeholders in traffic safety games and activities.

Children and parents learned about the importance of helmets, how to wear helmets correctly, and other traffic safety topics through interactive games and by hearing directly from road safety stakeholders and celebrity ambassadors; singer, Thai Thuy Linh and actor, Tu Long. Attendees also enjoyed the performances from two young stars Duc Anh Doremi and Vietnam’s Got Talent winner Đăng Quân.

Hanoi students and Miss Vietnam runner-up take a Long Short Walk for road safety

4 May – Hanoi

Students from Ba Dinh Primary School in Hanoi, Vietnam took a walk with AIP Foundation, Miss. Vietnam runner-up 2008 Thuy Van, and members of the Hanoi Traffic Safety Committee (TSC). The event, sponsored by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, is part of the worldwide Long Short Walk campaign. The participants in the Long Short Walk expressed their personal aspirations for improved road safety in placards carried on the walk from Ba Dinh Primary School to the Hanoi Botanic Gardens.

The Chief Secretariat of Vietnam's National Traffic Safety Committee and the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Public Security joined Safe Kids Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City authorities for a public event on the morning of May 11 to raise awareness of the need for improved pedestrian safety, the theme of the United Nations' second Global Road Safety Week from May 6-12, 2013.

The "Safe Walking" campaign, funded by FedEx Express, piloted a pedestrian photography contest for secondary school students in Ho Chi Minh City, beginning in February. Using photography, students shared their thoughts about the current traffic and pedestrian safety environment in their neighborhoods and around their schools. In addition to winning valuable prizes, the 60 photos that received the most Facebook "likes" were displayed at the Youth Cultural House from May 11-16, 2013. The campaign culminated with the exhibition opening and award ceremony at May 11th event, attended by more than 1,000 people.

The morning concluded with a "Long Short Walk," one of many around the world to advocate for the rights of pedestrians to be recognized on the road.

Wisconsin School of Medicine visits, discusses future plans for collaboration with AIP Foundation

20 May – Hanoi

Professor Peter Layde, co-director of the Injury Research Center at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, visited AIP Foundation on May 20 to discuss plans for furthering our collaboration. The delegation also met with the Departments for Disability and Rehabilitation Research and of Epidemiology at the Hanoi School of Public Health to discuss a possible research collaboration.

AIP Foundation’s partnership with the University of Wisconsin dates back to 2010 and is rooted in support provided by university volunteers each summer. In June, two interns from the Wisconsin School of Medicine will come to Vietnam to assist with a research database and ongoing monitoring and evaluation projects.

The second phase evaluation results of the national campaign “Children also need a helmet” were released on May 21 and showed dramatic increases children wearing helmets in Hanoi and nationwide.

Despite the 2010 passage of a national traffic law mandating helmet use for child motorcycle passengers over six years old, child helmet wearing rates across the country remained alarmingly low until last year when there was a significant increase in Ho Chi Minh City, from 22 to 50 percent. This month’s evaluation shows that, since baseline research was conducted in September 2012, child helmet use has risen from 17 to 47 percent across three target cities and, particularly impressive, from 9 to 53 percent in Hanoi.

The three-year campaign in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City to increase motorcycle helmet wearing among Vietnamese children is implemented by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the National Traffic Police, the Ministry of Education and Training, the World Health Organization, and AIP Foundation. The campaign’s second phase, which concludes this month, introduced new activities, including enhanced police enforcement and a call to local partners for grant proposals. AIP Foundation has also promoted the campaign message at public events, on social media, and with TV and outdoor advertisements.

Vietnamese singer, Intel, and local schools partner to zoom in on road safety in District 9

26 May – Ho Chi Minh City

More than 1,500 students, parents, and administrators from twelve secondary schools joined singer Quoc Thien for a festival at Le Van Viet School on May 26 to raise awareness of the need for safer roads in their community through photography. The event was organized as part of AIP Foundation's 'Zooming in on Road Safety' program, taking place for the first time this year with the support of Intel Products Vietnam.

In collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh Traffic Safety Committee and Department of Education and Training, 'Zooming in on Road Safety' rallies students and parents to capture the reality of young road users. Since November, Intel volunteers have been training students in road safety knowledge and photography skills.

On May 26, students' photographs, featuring their personal perspective on the traffic environment in their community, were exhibited for their families and the public. As photographers, students demonstrated their understanding of traffic safety. More than 130 Intel volunteers also led interactive games at the event, using competition and creativity to improve the road safety knowledge of the students and their parents.

As part of Johnson & Johnson's
Helmets for Kids partnership with AIP Foundation, more than 6,000 students at 14 schools in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Dong Nai provinces participated in extracurricular road safety activities during May.

This reinforces what students have learned in the classroom since Johnson & Johnson donated helmets to the schools in April.

Phnom Dil and Sampov Meas primary schools in Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh celebrated the UN’s second Global Road Safety Week with extracurricular road safety activities, as part of AIP Foundation’s
Helmets for Kids program. Nearly 300 students, teachers, and parents learned about the importance of wearing helmets correctly, how to cross the roads and walk safely, and other traffic safety topics through interactive games and contests.

Since 2012, ARRB Group, one of Australia’s most trusted advisors for road safety technical input, and Manulife (Cambodia) PLC, a Canada-based life insurance company, have donated 1,439 helmets to students, teachers, and parents at the two schools. Average helmet use rates across the schools, originally near zero, have increased to 84 percent.

National Road Safety Committee and partners walk for pedestrian safety

11 May – Phnom Penh

Together, on Saturday, May 11, road safety stakeholders across Cambodia marked Global Road Safety Week by co-organizing a Long Short Walk at Anuvath Reachtheani Primary School in Phnom Penh. National Road Safety Committee collaborated with the World Health Organization, Global Road Safety Partnership, Cambodian Red Cross (CRC), Cambodia Movement for Health, AIP Foundation, Handicap International, and Coalition for Road Safety to make this event possible.

Around 400 participants, namely school children, Cambodian Red Cross youth, and staff from concerned ministries and partners, walked for about one kilometer starting from the CRC office to AnuvathReachtheani Primary School holding a banner with the words: 'We are walking for safe roads for pedestrians'.

Top Phnom Penh businesses ride together to fund helmets for first graders

18 May – Phnom Penh

123 first grade students at Prey Sandek Primary School in Takeo Province, Cambodia added helmets to their school uniforms on May 18, as part of AIP Foundation's
Helmets for Kids program supported by Cambodia Biker Club (CBC).

For the second year, CBC has organized a charity ride to fundraise among Phnom Penh's top multinational and local businesses, including Maybank, Maersk Line, Damco, MCC Transport, Top1 Oil, Mike's Burger House, and Sawasdee Massage to provide helmets to the students of Prey Sandek Primary School. This year, 50 motorcyclists rode from Diamond Island to Sunway Hotel in Phnom Penh on March 31 to support CBC Charity Ride, in conjunction with the second annual Phnom Penh Bike Week, themed of "Ride for a Reason."

On March 22, 400 students at the Vanda Institute joined the growing number of university students, now more than 1,000 total, participating in public discussions to raise awareness about the life-saving importance of helmets for motorcycle passengers, especially children and young adults. The students have the opportunity to express their concerns about the safety of Cambodia's roads. AIP Foundation also informed students about a small grant scheme, offered from May to December 2013, to fund road safety awareness activities at their universities. High-level government officials, including Deputy Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee Preap Chanvibol and Major General Kim Yideth joined the discussion panel."

41 moms of students at Sampov Meas Primary School in Phnom Penh gathered on May 25 and 30 for a forum hosted by AIP Foundation to address the important role of mothers in improving road safety, especially for children. Through Helmets for Families, Manulife Cambodia Plc. has donated helmets to both students and their mothers and has integrated moms into road safety education activities at Sampov Meas Primary School.

As the family’s main caregiver, moms are frequently responsible for their children’s transportation to school and elsewhere. Young children look up to and emulate the behavior of their parents, making safe road behavior among adults key in developing life-saving habits in children. And when a family member is injured or disabled in a road traffic crash, 88 percent of the burden of care rests with women, including moms, which results in wider gender gaps, higher drop-out rates, and poorer maternal health.

A responsible government official attended the forum and presented crash data. AIP Foundation informed the mothers about their uniquely important role in preventing road traffic injuries and deaths by protecting their children and themselves.

Thailand

News Update

Mum of UK crash victim joins campaign– A British woman is taking part in a campaign to raise awareness in the United Kingdom about the risks of travelling in Thailand after losing her teenage son in a road accident here three years ago due to the lack of safety features on a bus he travelled on.
Source: The Nation 06.05.2013

AIP Foundation joins the global Long Short Walk campaign in Thailand

1 May – Bangkok

On May 1, nearly 200 young students, teachers, parents, school administrators, traffic poilice, monks, government officials, and community members from Pasri Chareon District of Bangkok, as well as representatives from the international community, joined the Long Short Walk event, organized by AIP Foundation and funded by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety.

The event featured a walk along the streets in the community of Pasri Chareon, which is known as a heavy traffic area in need of improved sidewalk space for pedestrians. Following opening remarks by the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Ministry of the Interior Pornpots Penpas, the Danish Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mikael Hemniti Winther led the march along the main road and alleyways in Pasri Chareon. Participants distributed informational flyers to passersby during a stop at the Nakprok Temple and Market, which drew attention and curiosity from locals. The four-kilometer walk continued past the local police station and Phyathai Hospital 3 and finished at the Department of Drainage and Sewage.

Others to join the walk included Donal Byrne, Head of Consular Assistance Operations, representing the British Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Mark Kent; Sutha Nitipanont, Bangkok City Councilor of Bangkok Metropolitan Council; Sophon Sereerak, Deputy Director of The Office of Phasri Charoen District; Ryan Duly, Mekong Program Manager of Global Road Safety Partnership under International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cross Crescent Societies; Kasidis Khantharat, Manager of Accident Prevention Network under Thai Health Promotion Foundation; Rachel Robinson, a British mother who lost her son in a road accident in Thailand and is now very active in the crusade for safer roads in Thailand.

UK Minister of State visits Bangkok, shares story of how a helmet saved his head

20 May – Bangkok

The British Embassy in Bangkok invited AIP Foundation Country Director Ratanawadee H. Winther to make presentation to The Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the status of road safety in Thailand, as well as road safety activities implemented by AIP Foundation in Thailand and the region. The meeting was held on May 20 with the participation of representatives from the U.S. Embassy, Canadian Embassy, the World Health Organization, and BSI Group Thailand

Mr. Swire shared his own experience about an accident he was involved in while driving a motorcycle in London. He says definitively that wearing a helmet saved him from serious head injury.

Teachers ready for the upcoming school year and a revised
Walk Wise curriculum

8-9 May – Kai County

In the 2013-14 school year, AIP Foundation will expand the
Walk Wise program to additional schools throughout Kai County, China. Based upon the suggestions of teachers, a revised curriculum, including new cartoons, photos, activities, and teaching toolkits, was created for the new school year.

To prepare for this new curriculum and expanded reach, AIP Foundation hosted 15 teachers from Gaoqiao and Qili primary schools in a teacher training workshop on May 8 and 9. The participating teachers, who were already active contributers to the pilot year of
Walk Wise, reviewed AIP Foundation’s work in the region, were introduced to the revised curriculum, and practiced interactive teaching methods. Many teachers commented that they found the session informative and that they felt better prepared to implement the curriculum in the upcoming school year.

On May 9, students joined teachers, parents, and police offers at Gaoqiao and Qili primary schools in a Long Short Walk for pedestrian safety during the UN's second Global Road Safety Week (May 6-12). Together the two schools walked through their community, holding signs with messages to promote road safety, such as: "We walk safely for our children's future;" and "We walk for you and for me."

These two schools, located in Kai County, China, were selected as the pilot locations for the Chevron-sponsored
Walk Wise pedestrian safety training program for primary students. Prior to the walk, a competition was held for students to test their knowledge of road safety. An award ceremony followed, and the entire student body joined the principals, teachers, traffic police, local officials, Chevron, and AIP Foundation in congratulating the top competitors. Winning student Ouyang Shuyu stated, “I am glad to get this award. I learned how to walk to school safely through this class, and I will share the award and what I learned with my parents.”

Uganda

News Update

Make our roads safer for pedestrians– We also need to raise public awareness and understanding of the legislative and enforcement measures as a means of increasing participation, ownership of pedestrian safety mechanisms.
Source: Daily Monitor 09.05.2013

Since 2010, the Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative (UHVI) and the Automobile Association of Uganda (AAU) have partnered on a number of initiatives to increase motorcycle helmet use, particularly among the country's boda boda (motorcycle taxi) operators. In February, AIP Foundation and AAU further solidified their relationship by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide guidelines for collectively advocating helmet use and problem-solving issues related to this cause. Through this MoU, AIP Foundation is also providing AAU with technical support and expertise related to motorcycle helmets and public awareness campaigns.

Boda bodas, UHVI, and Makerere University submit petition to Parliament for enhanced traffic law implementation

7 May – Kampala

On May 7, in conjunction with the UN's second Global Road Safety Week, the Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative (UHVI) together with the Boda Boda (motorcycle taxi) Association of Uganda and Makerere University College of Health Sciences submitted a petition to the Parliament of Uganda. The petition calls for improved enforcement of the Traffic and Road Safety Act, particularly motorcycle regulations, in Uganda.

A recent study by Dr. Edward Naddumba at Makerere University, found that boda boda drivers and their passengers account for 41 percent of all trauma patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital, with stays ranging from eight days to three months or more. The study, cited in UHVI's petition, estimates that 62.5 percent of the Directorate of Surgery's total budget is directed toward patients with injuries caused by road traffic crashes involving boda bodas.

The event was attended by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum on Road Safety, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, representatives of the Uganda Police Force, and the Kampala Capital City Authority. Barbara Mwanje, the Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative Country Manager, read the petition aloud, and the Chairperson of the Boda Boda Association made the official handover to the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure. Parliament has responded by calling for action plans from the police and city councils to improve the safety of the citizens of Kampala.

Parliament partners with UHVI to walk for pedestrian safety in Kampala

8 May – Kampala

A member of Parliament and the Chairperson of
the Parliamentary Forum for Road Safety with their signboards
during the Long Short Walk in Kampala

The Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative (UHVI) organized a Long Short Walk with a group of around 100 people in Kampala, Uganda on May 8. The event, supported by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, called for improved pedestrian safety and highlighted the daily dangers encountered by pedestrians in Uganda's roadway environment.

The Long Short Walk was attended by boda boda operators, who are the main target population of UHVI's current campaign, students from Sunrise Primary School, representatives from Uganda Parliament's Road Safety Forum, the Uganda Police Force, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Automobile Association of Uganda, and private sector company Total Exploration and Production, among others. Numerous well-known figures also participated in the event, including the Honorable Alice Alaso, Chairperson of the Uganda Parliament Road Safety Forum, John Mutenda, President of FIA Africa, and Collins Mwesigye, Head of Violence and Injury Prevention at the World Health Organization in Uganda.

The Sunrise Primary School band led the group down Jinja Road, perhaps the busiest thoroughfare in Kampala. Carrying Long Short Walk signs and banners, participants passed the Parliament and police headquarters.

The second phase of the UHVI boda boda campaign, Ubulamu Bugaga or 'Life is your wealth,' continued with numerous activities and events throughout April and May. The campaign aims to improve boda boda operator helmet usage and road safety through workshops reinforced with a public awareness campaign.

A train-the-trainer workshop from March 14-15 has been followed by boda boda workshops in the Rubaga (March 19), Kampala Central (April 10), Lubaga (April 16), and Makindye (April 23) divisions of Kampala. Radio advertisements promoting boda boda helmet use began airing throughout the capital on May 6. In the upcoming weeks, billboards with the campaign's message will be posted throughout Kampala, and UHVI will host the remaining five boda boda operator workshops.

Tanzania

News Update

Road accidents gobble 3.4 percent of GDP – The government loses 3.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually due to road accidents occurring in the country, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works, Eng John Ndunguru has said.
Source: Daily News 21.05.2013

The Helmet Vaccine Initiative – Tanzania (HVI-T) gathered around 200 students from Turiani Primary School and road safety supporters on May 11 to walk together and highlight the need for improved pedestrian safety throughout Tanzania. Supported by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, the event drew attention to the rights of pedestrians in Dar es Salaam's rapidly developing urban environment.

The group was joined by Michele Gersbach, the UN Country Safety and Security Advisor in Tanzania, representing Dr. Alberic Kacou, the UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania. D.L. Chamulesile, Commissioner of Prisons, Ibrahim Mwamukula, Regional Traffic Officer of Kinondoni SSP, and Kinondoni Education Authority representatives also attended.

Led by the police brass band and under close supervision from traffic police, the group walked for approximately two kilometers along Morogoro Road. As this road provides access to many construction sites, the walk aimed to encourage the municipality to retain sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians. Live radio and television coverage of the event made this important message heard to people throughout Tanzania.